1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for catching game fish and more particularly to a fish hooking needle to which bait may be attached, which hooks a fish once the fish has swallowed the needle and attached bait, and then allows a fisherman to land the fish by reeling in line connected to the needle.
2. Prior Art
The device universally used for catching game fish is the traditional fish hook. Such a hook has a shank portion formed with an end eyelet for attaching a line or leader, for example. An opposite end of the hook shank is formed into an arcuate shaped bend that terminates at a point. A barb is formed immediately inward from the end point.
Fish hooking devices are available in many other configurations as well. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,357,678 discloses a fish hooking device comprising a pair of spaced apart hooks. Inner ends of respective shank portions of each hook in turn are attached to a centrally positioned weight. Another hooking device is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 2,749,652. This device likewise comprises a pair of hooks. In this case, an end of a shank portion of each hook is connected to a spring. This spring allows the hooks to rotate about the spring to promote release of the hook if it were to snag a foreign object during use. A still further fish hooking device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,744. In this last case the device comprises two sets of three hooks. The sets are positioned respectively on each side of a fish cake with a line then threaded through the cake and eyelets of the hooks of each set.
After a fish has been caught by a fisherman, the fish may be placed on a stringer. With one end of the stringer secured to a boat holding the fisherman, for example, the fish may be kept fresh by allowing the fish to remain in the water. U.S. Pat. Nos. 389,598, 1,341,722 and 2,477,201 disclose various fish stringers. These stringers may include barbless hooks of varying configurations.